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Appearance

The Tree of Life is a tall, thick baobab tree. Its leaves are presumably always green, as it wasn't affected by Scar's poor reign, and it grows some distance from Pride Rock.

Background

The tree, which appears to be a large baobab tree, appears in every movie as well as most merchandise inspired by The Lion King. Rafiki is often seen performing various shamanistic tasks there. The trunk of the tree is shown to be covered in paintings, including depictions of Simba, Kiara, and Kovu, all of which were drawn by Rafiki.

Information

Early in the first film, when it is heavily raining, Rafiki is seen drawing a picture of Simba on the tree's trunk. When he hears of Simba's "death" later on in the film, he smears it with his death. However, while at the top of his tree, Rafiki smells Simba's scent through some dust and discovers that Simba is actually still alive. He then restores the smeared picture of Simba on the trunk, using red fruit juice to add a mane to show Simba's maturity.

In the second film, Rafiki is seen at his tree, having a conservation with Mufasa's spirit while painting pictures of Kiara and Kovu's maturity. While talking to Mufusa, the wind blows a fruit on his tree and breaks apart, symbolizing to Rafiki that Mufasa wants Kovu and Kiara to be together. Rafiki objects to the notion at first, but he later agrees to it, hoping Mufasa knows what he is planning.

While Timon is traveling to find his place, he stops and cries beside Rafiki's tree. Rafiki suddenly appears while hanging from his tree. Rafiki teaches the meerkat about "Hakuna Matata," and if he wants to find his dream home, he must "look beyond what he sees." The tree is not seen afterwards.

After Nobi, a bullied white mouse, gets used as a baseball by three elephants, he flings all the way to Rafiki's tree, where he talks to the baboon about getting fed up about being pushed around due to his small size. After Rafiki tells Nobi about the "Rafiki Wish," the mouse wishes that he could fly like a bird, swim like a fish, and be as tall as a giraffe, which Rafiki grants.

Rafiki's nephew, Nefu, visits his uncle in his tree, telling him that he wants to be just like him. The Tree of Life is revealed to have a storage room, where Rafiki makes Nefu stack golden gourds on the shelves.

Zazu flies to Rafiki at his tree, informing him about Simba's reputation as king being in jeopardy and about Timon and Pumbaa's background. Rafiki tells Zazu about Timon's backstory, and after almost finishing the story, Simba is seen lying on a branch, hearing the end of the story.

When Bunga gets bitten by Ushari, an Egyptian cobra, he is rushed to Rafiki's tree by the Lion Guard. There, he is met by a weepy Timon and Pumbaa, who worry over his safety. However, to everyone's relief, Rafiki informs Bunga that he is immune to snake bites, since he is a honey badger.

Rafiki tells a story about the Zimwi, a legendary creature, to a group of young animals below his tree.

Trivia

Rafiki's tree resembles a baobab tree, a kind of tree native to Africa, where the film takes place.

The Tree of Life is the centerpiece of Disney's Animal Kingdom.

In a deleted scene from The Lion King 1½, Timon and Pumbaa, in Rafiki's tree, look at Rafiki's pictures of Simba's presentation and Simba's defeat over Scar. Disappointed that there's no pictures of them, Timon talks to the audience, telling them that no one knows their side of the story. Later, Timon draws a picture of himself with Pumbaa, to Rafiki's dismay, who finds them drawing on his tree.